Well its been 3 months since I posted any new progress images and I’ve got a great excuse…I’ve been blessed with LOTS of work, so no complaints from that perspective. I decided I needed to spend some quality time on the Pro-Tour ‘S’ so I’ve  spent the afternoons of the last few days working on it. I’ve got the rear subframe that supports the clamshell storage area buttoned up to the point where I could take the bike off of the table, so I rolled it out today to get a ground-level view.  You may notice the oil tank under the forward area of the swingarm. Its not quite finished, but when it is it’ll hold 3.5 quarts. Here are some images.

I’ve had a few inquiries how the storage areas are accessed so here are some images of the Pro-Tour ‘X’ which we built for the S&S  Cycle 50th Anniversary competition. The Pro-Tour ‘S’ conversion will be nearly identical in the rear storage area – maybe slightly bigger, the mid-frame or ’side cover’ area will have more storage capacity than the ‘X’.  Keep in mind these 4 separate areas provide MORE storage area than a pair of  stock hardbags yet the rear section of  the bike is a full 8 inches NARROWER than a full size bagger.

Its been a bit since I’ve been able to work on the project but I’ve devoted the last day and 1/2 to it so here are a couple of images of the ’inner-workings’ of the clamshell as I’m working out the location for the heim joint hinge mount. I’ve laid in enough glass to attach the hinge brackets to the outer clamshell. Next step is bending up all the rear sub-frame tubing that’ll attach the heim joints to the main frame as well as provide an attachment point for the rear exhaust mount.

For those of you who are paying real close attention you’ve probably noticed the drive pulley I’ve got on the Sportster Bagger. My buddy James Simonelli over at Baker Drivetrain got me all set up with this 7/8 inch offset pulley and it lines the belt up perfectly! Thanks James.

I just thought I’d add this ‘Comparison Chart’ for all to ponder. I won’t have all the final capacities and specs until I’m closer to completion but this should give a pretty good idea of how the finished bike will spec out. I did the comparison with the StreetGlide and Fatboy as they are similar in purpose. I’d like to think the target market for this conversion kit would be those who want all the attributes of a full size bagger minus the characteristic weight associated with them, but with the right engine mods this has the potential to be one very quick scoot that’d be appealing to the younger crowd as well. This particular bike will have an S&S 100 cu. in. engine which with a little practice should be able to run the 1/4 mile in the mid to high 10 second range… most crotch rockets can’t do that.

OK so you’re thinking… C’mon its still a Sportster frame – theres no way this will look balanced as a Bagger. This image should give you a better idea of how it’ll look once completed. I’m sitting on a piece of 2 inch foam in this image so once I shape the foam on the finished seat I’ll actually sit about an inch lower than this. Go to this link on my website to get a better idea of how the rear storage area works http://www.dougz.com/custom_bikes.php?sgid=100. Its the same set up I used on Mark Platt’s Pro-Tour ‘X’.

Side covers will be similar as well and will also serve as storage compartments, same as Mark’s.

As you can see I’ve been working on the seat area of the chassis on our Sportster based bagger. Keeping the heaviest parts of a bike low and centered in the chassis will make it handle well and have an exceptionally light feel. You’ll notice the battery is set up under the seat running lengthwise from front to rear, and the oil tank will be one of the next things that’ll be fabbed up, becoming part of the forward area of the swingarm – tucked neatly under the battery area. You can’t get it much lower than that. The battery box serves as a structural member of the chassis by attaching it to the gussets just ahead of the shocks, absorbing some of the rear weight and transferring it to the backbone.

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You can see here how low the seat will be with the top of the seat rails just 21 ½ inches off the ground, and you can also see that we’re getting the seat height down there without slamming the entire bike & causing a ground-scraping ill handling bike. From earth to the underside of the bottom rails we’ve got 6 ½ inches of clearance. Pretty close to stock height on most bikes.

You may have also noted the swingarm is now much beefier using 1×2 box tubing and we’re running a 1 inch axle in this bike as well because when its done it’ll have a 100 cu. in. S&S engine for power – Axle bending power! Right out of the box the S&S engines are rated at 115 Horsepower at the rear wheel so EVERYTHING has to be built to withstand that kind of stress. The rear wheel is something I’ve had collecting dust up in the storage area for a while. It came off of a drag bike & is extremely lightweight. Its got a 170mm tire on it now but will get a fresh 180 for final assembly. The power will be transferred from the engine to the rear wheel through a 151 tooth belt commonly used in the V-Rod, so you know its gotta be tough as hell.

These images give you an idea of how well a 6’ tall fat ass fits on this modified H-D chassis. That’s one of the best parts about this build – it can and will be duplicated. In fact, its not really a ‘build’ – a better description would be ‘conversion’. You could start with a bone stock 883 Sportster, punch it out to a 1200 using an S&S Hot Set-up, have our Pro-Tour ‘S’ kit installed and you’ll be set. Its still an H-D so finding insurance isn’t a problem, no final inspection, just a slick clean conversion on a proven – rock solid chassis.

I’m just getting restarted on the Pro-Tour ‘S’ which will make it’s debut in the early months of 2009 so I figured it was about time to set up my blog in order to post images and comments about the build as it progresses. So this is where you’ll be able to keep up to date on the scoot as it comes to life. Here’s an image showing where we’re currently at, and Yes it is a real deal ’drop seat’ design… 22.0 inches will be the finished seat height!

I know - I know, your first thought is “But its a Sportster” & honestly, I used to feel the same way, but after many years of working on Big Twins and Sportys I’ve begun to realize just how many design facets of the Sportster make so much sense. The reality is the Sportster platform is PERFECT for what I’m trying to accomplish here.

First of all, I have a history of being quite at home on a Drag Strip so a bike with a drag racing stance is one thing I want. I also like the idea of being able to actually GO SOMEWHERE on the bikes I build other than from one bar to another, so I want a ‘Bagger’ of sorts. So to build a truly FAST bike it makes sense to start with something lightweight so you can conserve your money on ‘go fast’ parts and use that dough in the areas where the bike is lacking. On the stock Sportster the biggest drawback is the extremely short wheelbase. They ride like crap and with the ‘Stuffed in the ass’ look there’s little you can do to give the bike a good stance plus you feel like you’re riding ‘on top’ of the bike.

So here’s what we’ve done so far to address those issues: We’ve stretched the swingarm. (the one on it now is for mock-up purposes only – we’re making a new, beefier one for the finished bike) That swingarm stretch gives the bike slightly MORE wheelbase than a stock FL which in itself will give the bike a much improved ride quality, plus we’ll be using the FL air shocks on the bike to make the rear suspension totally adjustable. The other thing the stretch gives us is the opportunity to turn this into a real deal drop seat scooter. The finished height of the seat will be only 22 inches off the ground! Keep in mind, this is all based on a bone stock Sportster chassis!

With the next image I’ll share more design short comings and how we’re addressing them as well as the design high points that make this a smart scooter conversion. Stay tuned…